France
The vast and diverse wine regions of France, each with its own unique terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking techniques, are a treasure trove.
In Bordeaux, the birthplace of some of the world's most iconic wines, esteemed vineyards such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion produce exceptional red wines, showcasing the art of blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The region is also renowned for its exquisite white wines, with vineyards like Château d'Yquem and Domaine de Chevalier producing legendary sweet wines.
Moving to Burgundy, the vineyards of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Armand Rousseau capture the essence of the region's revered terroir, crafting exquisite red wines from the Pinot Noir grape. Meanwhile, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Coche-Dury are celebrated for their world-class white wines, predominantly made from Chardonnay.
The Champagne region, known for its sparkling wines, boasts illustrious houses such as Krug, Dom Pérignon, and Moët & Chandon, as well as grower-producers like Pierre Péters and Jacques Selosse. These vineyards create exceptional sparkling wines using the traditional method, offering a symphony of delicate bubbles, elegant flavors, and vibrant acidity.
In the Rhône Valley, iconic vineyards like Chapoutier, E. Guigal, and Château de Beaucastel produce remarkable red wines in the northern appellations of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Cornas, showcasing the elegance and power of Syrah. Further south, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is celebrated for its rich and full-bodied red blends, with Château Rayas and Clos des Papes leading the way.
In Alsace, vineyards such as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and omaine Trimbach craft exquisite white wines, including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris, expressing the region's unique terroir and varietal character.
These are just a few highlights among the diverse array of wines that France offers. From the Loire Valley's crisp whites and elegant reds to the Languedoc-Roussillon's bold and robust wines, each region presents its own vinous treasures.
France
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£541.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 73 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,176.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (73)An aroma highly suggestive of freshly brewed tea and ripe tangerines suggests overripeness. On the palate, the wine is diffuse, lacking direction, and is somewhat watery and uninteresting. This is a curious and unappealing rendition of Batailley. Anticipated maturity: Now-probably in serious decline. Last tasted, 2/79. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 85 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. VAT
£1,896.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (85)The 1971 Canon displays wide bricking on the rim. The nose has a rather incongruous sweetness that suggests zealous chaptalization, quite ferrous with the "rustiness" I observed in a previous bottle tasted several years earlier. The palate is balanced but simple, rather loose knit with tart cherry fruit and a splash of balsamic towards the light and simple finish. It is a harmless 1971, but frankly a long way behind its peers in this year. Tasted at the château. |
|||||||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£9,313.69 |
|||||
Vinous (94)I have been fortunate to taste the 1971 Grands Echézeaux four times now (always a privilege when it is your birth year). This 1971 bottle is as good as the best I have come across despite some turbidity in the glass. Yet the bouquet is divine and ethereal with vestiges of red cherry and strawberry, wild heather (again - just like previous bottles) and pressed flowers. The palate is fully mature with tart red fruit, brown spice and that telltale sense of transparency towards the finish. It is not a dense or powerful wine and I suspect it was better around 20 years of age. But it has aged gracefully and maintained such exceptional balance and poise that you cannot help surrendering to its charms. Tasted at a private lunch at Howard's Gourmet. |
|||||||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£27,008.65 |
|||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£50,633.29 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£710.40 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 5 | - |
Inc. VAT
£937.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£7,020.07 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£428.40 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£5,191.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 6 | - |
Inc. VAT
£589.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£3,304.80 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 88 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£710.40 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (88)This wine, which was a medium-weight, charming example in its youth, continues to develop well. Recent bottles have been the finest I have tasted of the 1971 Mouton-Rothschild. The color remains a deep dark garnet with some amber at the edge. The wine offers up a classic Pauillac nose of cedar, black currants, and lead pencil aromas. On the palate, it reveals a savory, sweet, cedary, currant flavor profile with good freshness, adequate acidity, and ripe tannin. The wine is fully mature, but is capable of lasting for another 5-10 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 10/97 |
|||||||||
|
Cognac | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£605.15 |
|||||
An exceptional embodiment of French artistry, Prunier Vintage Petite Champagne Cognac 1971 is a rare and cherished cognac hailing from the prestigious Petite Champagne region. Emanating from the house of Maison Prunier, a cognac producer holding a legacy of over two centuries, this offering exudes grandeur and finesse that's truly unparalleled. Made with Ugni Blanc grapes subjected to double distillation, this cognac was aged in French oak barrels for several decades, thereby imparting an extraordinary depth and complexity to its character. It showcases the exquisite subtlety of vintage cognacs, revealing a symphony of flavours, marked by notes of prunes, walnuts, tobacco and rancio, enveloped in the warmth of old port wine. Prunier Vintage Petite Champagne Cognac 1971 is a magnificent collector's extravagance, with limited bottle production, making it an indelible part of any discerning connoisseur's collection. This sophisticated spirit truly encapsulates the expertise and tradition of Maison Prunier. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£541.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 73 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,176.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (73)An aroma highly suggestive of freshly brewed tea and ripe tangerines suggests overripeness. On the palate, the wine is diffuse, lacking direction, and is somewhat watery and uninteresting. This is a curious and unappealing rendition of Batailley. Anticipated maturity: Now-probably in serious decline. Last tasted, 2/79. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 85 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. VAT
£1,896.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (85)The 1971 Canon displays wide bricking on the rim. The nose has a rather incongruous sweetness that suggests zealous chaptalization, quite ferrous with the "rustiness" I observed in a previous bottle tasted several years earlier. The palate is balanced but simple, rather loose knit with tart cherry fruit and a splash of balsamic towards the light and simple finish. It is a harmless 1971, but frankly a long way behind its peers in this year. Tasted at the château. |
|||||||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
£7,755.00 |
|||||
Vinous (94)I have been fortunate to taste the 1971 Grands Echézeaux four times now (always a privilege when it is your birth year). This 1971 bottle is as good as the best I have come across despite some turbidity in the glass. Yet the bouquet is divine and ethereal with vestiges of red cherry and strawberry, wild heather (again - just like previous bottles) and pressed flowers. The palate is fully mature with tart red fruit, brown spice and that telltale sense of transparency towards the finish. It is not a dense or powerful wine and I suspect it was better around 20 years of age. But it has aged gracefully and maintained such exceptional balance and poise that you cannot help surrendering to its charms. Tasted at a private lunch at Howard's Gourmet. |
|||||||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
In Bond
£22,504.00 |
|||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
In Bond
£42,188.00 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£710.40 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 5 | - |
Inc. VAT
£937.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£5,818.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£428.40 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£5,191.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 6 | - |
Inc. VAT
£589.20 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£3,304.80 |
|||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 88 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£710.40 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (88)This wine, which was a medium-weight, charming example in its youth, continues to develop well. Recent bottles have been the finest I have tasted of the 1971 Mouton-Rothschild. The color remains a deep dark garnet with some amber at the edge. The wine offers up a classic Pauillac nose of cedar, black currants, and lead pencil aromas. On the palate, it reveals a savory, sweet, cedary, currant flavor profile with good freshness, adequate acidity, and ripe tannin. The wine is fully mature, but is capable of lasting for another 5-10 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 10/97 |
|||||||||
|
Cognac | 1 | - |
In Bond
£491.00 |
|||||
An exceptional embodiment of French artistry, Prunier Vintage Petite Champagne Cognac 1971 is a rare and cherished cognac hailing from the prestigious Petite Champagne region. Emanating from the house of Maison Prunier, a cognac producer holding a legacy of over two centuries, this offering exudes grandeur and finesse that's truly unparalleled. Made with Ugni Blanc grapes subjected to double distillation, this cognac was aged in French oak barrels for several decades, thereby imparting an extraordinary depth and complexity to its character. It showcases the exquisite subtlety of vintage cognacs, revealing a symphony of flavours, marked by notes of prunes, walnuts, tobacco and rancio, enveloped in the warmth of old port wine. Prunier Vintage Petite Champagne Cognac 1971 is a magnificent collector's extravagance, with limited bottle production, making it an indelible part of any discerning connoisseur's collection. This sophisticated spirit truly encapsulates the expertise and tradition of Maison Prunier. |